What are the benefits of the participatory budget for the city and its citizens?

Most scholars and participants of PBs agree that one of their most important benefits is the deepening of the exercise of democracy, through the dialogue of public authorities with their citizenry. Another benefit is that Participatory Budgets make the state accountable to its citizens and contribute to the modernisation of public management. In many Latin American cases, the Participatory Budget is a tool to re-order social priorities and promote social justice. Citizens go from being simple observers to protagonists in public administration, that is to say, full, active, critical and demanding participants. In this region above all, the PB gives citizens better opportunities for access to works and services like basic sanitation, street paving, transportation improvements, and health and educational centres. By participating actively in the Participatory Budgeting process, the citizens define their priorities, and in doing so have the chance to significantly improve their quality of life, in a relatively short timeframe.  In addition, they have the possibility to control and monitor the execution of the budget.  On the other hand, the PB also stimulates processes of administrative modernisation and feeds into the strategic planning process of the municipality.